The Highmark Caring Place

WHO DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION SERVE?

The Highmark Caring Place, A Center for Grieving Children, Adolescents and Their Families, is a safe place where grieving children and families can come together and be with others who understand what they’re going through.

WHAT IS THEIR BIGGEST CHALLENGE?

Every person grieves differently. Children certainly grieve in different ways from adults, but they also may grieve in different ways from other children. Even two children who have lost the same family member may grieve that loss in very different ways.

Children's feelings of grief may be hidden deep inside. Young children may lack the words to express how they feel while older children and teens may avoid expressing their feelings so that others don't label them as different or unusual. Children of any age may hide their feelings from adult caretakers so that they don't upset their adults who are also grieving.

The intensity of grief can be too much for a child or teen to handle all at one time, so they might appear to be doing just fine one minute, grieving the next and go back to appearing fine a moment later. Even if they aren't showing it, a child who has had a family member die is grieving.

Teens and children want to feel just like the other kids, but they often feel alone in their grief. If they aren't receiving support, they may feel alone and isolated in their grief. Being a grieving child just makes them feel different from their peers.

HOW DO YOU HELP THEM?

The Highmark Caring Place provides peer support, where the children who attend come to know that they are not alone in their experiences and feelings. They and their families get support and encouragement from each other, facilitated by trained adult volunteers.

In addition to these peer support groups, the Caring Place provides educational programs, consultation services, presentations and resources for schools and other professionals in the community who work with children. The Caring Place continually works to raise awareness of the needs of grieving children and how to respond to those needs.

Music to Grieve to

Listening to sad music after losing a loved one, being diagnosed with a terminal illness, or finalizing a divorce might seem counterintuitive, but this somber sounding activity has been proven to help.

Nothing can prepare you for grief, nor is there a right or wrong way to deal with it, but sad music is an easily accessible and highly effective tool that can help you begin to heal.